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“Why don’t you get settled, sis? Unwind and do some of that home self-care stuff you told me you’re trying when you get home. Leave the adobo to us.”
Jules looks at me with sympathetic eyes, but I wish she wouldn’t. I am thoroughly enjoying myself. Justine reminds me of Ana. She knows exactly what she wants, so we might as well get out of her way.
“I’m already looking forward to cooking with your sister,” I reach for the apron on the wall and tie it on before Jules can try to give me another out.
Justine scurries over to her and places a book in her hand from the bookshelf and hands her a sparkling water bottle. “Trust me.”
Jules nods and slowly makes her way down the hallway.
Justine deftly weaves her way around the kitchen and places the chicken, soy sauce, whole pepper, bay leaves, garlic, and vinegar in front of us.
“This is all we need to make my specialty. There’s also a secret ingredient, but as the name implies, it’s a secret. Only family gets to know that one.” She emphasizes that with a wink. She places a knife and a bulb of garlic in front of me in place of actual instructions. I get straight to it.
Justine rinses the chicken in a pot and eyeballs pouring in soy sauce and vinegar, then tops it off with my pile of garlic. “Toss in a couple of bay leaves, and we get it to boil, then leave it to simmer for an hour.”
“Two or three leaves?” I ask, while opening the jar of pungent leaves.
“Always four.” She starts to clean up the kitchen while I fish out the dry leaves. She seems as adept in the kitchen as I am in the stables. I love seeing people in their element. Before I know it, the kitchen is clean, a tangy aroma has taken over the apartment, and she’s making a pot of coffee.
“So, what do you like to do, cowboy?”
“I’m a bit of a homebody. I really spend all my time on the ranch with my horses and my daughter. Any day that I get to ride my horse and stand in the sun for a while is a good one.”
“Hmm… Well, my sister is already a homebody. Needs some help getting out of her shell if you ask me.” She nods to herself. “She’s told me about Ana. Ate Jules practically raised me.”
“How so?”
“Our parents were starting their business when I was born. Jules was already twelve, so they leaned on her a lot for babysitting.”
From the wince she just made, I get a sense that there’s something she’s not saying.
“It looks like it made you two very close.”
“Yes, but at what cost?”
“What do you mean?”
Justine cracks her knuckles and swirls around the galley kitchen to line up three mugs, creamer, and sugar, while she talks.
“In our family, the oldest has a lot of obligations. She stayed home to work during college, she spent a good chunk of her childhood raising me, and she only just left our family home to move here.”
“Justine, come over! Mom and dad are calling from the Philippines,” Jules says from down the hallway.
“Be right back.” She lowers the heat to simmer, grabs her coffee cup, and makes her way down the hallway.
The end of the kitchen has a counter that opens into the living room. I’m drawn to the eclectic room as much as I am to Jules. It fits her perfectly.
Plants hang from the ceiling, bookshelves are stuffed with romance and cozy murder mysteries, and a hook in the corner holds a dozen lanyards. Before I get the chance to inspect her shelves closely, I realize that Justine only grabbed her mug. I’ll go pour some for Jules and bring it to her.
Halfway down the hallway I overhear a sudden outburst, “You’re staying where? I told you to stay with Justine at home, Jules.”
Coffee in hand for Jules, I freeze outside of her open door.
Justine answers quickly. “Ate Jules was going to, dad. It was totally my idea. I came to Jules’ home and gave her no choice. It’s just as close for me to commute from school to her apartment, as it is to go from home to school. She just moved here, and I didn’t want to add hours to her commute every day. That doesn’t seem fair to me.”
“Who’s taking care of whom over there?” an older man roars. He sounds as stern as mine.
“I’m taking care of her,” Jules mumbles. It’s clearly an argument they’ve had before.
